One Inch of Air
One breath above the water, then under again: a private measure of endurance brought into the open.
Lyrics
Verse 1 - Male Clean, close baritone
The water holds me by the ribs
My clothes are heavier than skin
I hear the whole world blur above
Then nothing when I slip beneath
I kick because the body kicks
Not courage, not a grand belief
The surface breaks against my mouth
I take the little air it leaves
Breath Pre-Chorus - voice alone
In
Hold
Wait
Now
Chorus - fragile sustained Male Clean
ONE INCH OF AIR
BETWEEN MY MOUTH AND THE DEEP
ONE SECOND OF LIGHT
BEFORE THE WATER COVERS ME
DON’T CALL THIS SWIMMING
I’M ONLY LEARNING NOT TO SINK
ONE INCH OF AIR
IS ALL I GET TO KEEP
Verse 2 - Male Clean, nearly whispered
Some days the sky is only sound
A pale shape moving far above
I lift one hand; it falls back down
Without a mark upon the light
I do not dream about the shore
I dream the water losing weight
One quiet second without pulling
Long enough to fill my lungs
Breath Pre-Chorus - voice alone
In
Hold
Wait
Now
Chorus - fragile sustained Male Clean
ONE INCH OF AIR
BETWEEN MY MOUTH AND THE DEEP
ONE SECOND OF LIGHT
BEFORE THE WATER COVERS ME
DON’T CALL THIS SWIMMING
I’M ONLY LEARNING NOT TO SINK
ONE INCH OF AIR
IS ALL I GET TO KEEP
Bridge - Male Clean, no percussion
If I go quiet
It isn’t peace
I’m saving what is left
For the next time I can breathe
Pressure Peak - strained clean vocal
NOT UNDER
NOT YET
Final Chorus - full downbeat, still restrained
ONE INCH OF AIR
BETWEEN MY MOUTH AND THE DEEP
ONE SECOND OF LIGHT
BEFORE THE WATER COVERS ME
DON’T CALL THIS SWIMMING
I’M ONLY LEARNING NOT TO SINK
ONE INCH OF AIR
THEN UNDER
THEN AGAIN
Outro - downbeat removed, breath cycle
In
Hold
Under
Again
Song sheet
How the track is built.
- endurance ↔ submersion
- a mouth held one inch above the water, taking a single breath before the body drops beneath the surface again